After the Flare

Nigerians in Space #2

by Deji Bryce Olukotun

A catastrophic solar flare reshapes our world order as we know it – in an instant, electricity grids are crippled, followed by devastating cyberattacks that paralyze all communication. With America in chaos, former NASA employee Kwesi Bracket works at the only functioning space program in the world, which just happens to be in Nigeria. With Europe, Asia, and the U.S. knocked off-line, and thousands of dead satellites about to plummet to Earth, the planet’s only hope rests with the Nigerian Space Program’s plan to launch a daring rescue mission to the International Space Station.

Bracket and his team are already up against a serious deadline, but life on the ground is just as disastrous after the flare. Nigeria has been flooded with advanced biohacking technologies, and the scramble for space supremacy has attracted dangerous peoples from all over Africa. What’s more: the militant Islamic group Boko Haram is slowly encroaching on the spaceport, leaving a trail of destruction, while a group of nomads has discovered an ancient technology more powerful than anything Bracket’s ever imagined.

With the clock ticking down, Bracket – helped by a brilliant scientist from India and an eccentric lunar geologist – must confront the looming threats to the spaceport in order to launch a harrowing rescue mission into space. 

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Africa, Speculative Fiction, Space, Nigeria, Science Fiction Fantasy

301 pages, Paperback

First published September 12, 2017

About the author

See also Deji Olukotun.

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

Great premise--a solar flare has wiped out much of earth's tech except in certain bands protected by shadow. Nigeria is thus left as technological leader while the West falls apart. Near-future shabby-tech feel as an escaped Nigerian American works for a rickety space programme trying to bring a stranded astronaut home, and collides with some of that sufficiently advanced tech that is indistinguishable from magic, also with corruption, Boko Haram, and the intersectional complexities of tribe, race and nationality.

Ambitious but for me didn't quite coalesce into the sum of its parts. (There's a lot of parts, it feels like the author put all his plot bunnies into one book.) The sf/magic blend is a feature of Afrofuturism, thinking of Binti and The Prey of Gods, both of which do it perfectly, but this didn't click together the same way, and the MC lacked enough narrative drive to make him compelling. Interesting, ambitious, rammed with great ideas and subjects, but needed a more ruthless editor to get a stronger grip on the plot.

[Michelle Morrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel defies categorization. It could be post apocalyptic, as it takes place in a world after a catastrophic solar flare knocks out all electronics across the world, but for a narrow strip around the equator. It sould be hard scifi, with the last remaining space program rushing to save an astronaut stranded in space over a year later. It could be a story of culture, with all the permutations of Nigerian life and interactions and a glimpse of a world as alien as any dreamed up in a book. (At least to me, in this soggy, gray, disassociated PNW winter.) It could be any of those categories in part, but its whole is more.

This is technically the second in a series, but I hadn't read the first, and treated this as stand alone, I don't think it suffered in the least, it is very much a self contained story. It's smart and inventive and definitely pushes the boundaries of SF I've read, so I will heartily agree if this one wins the PK Dick award this year.

Nominated for the 2018 PK Dick Awards

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-paced read!

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at page 227/296. Yes, that's right. I gave up right near the end.

Things I liked -
The premise is great, and truly the reason I bought my copy. I love the idea of something mysterious and ancient being disturbed by advancing and necessary technology. That tension of old and new!
The tech is bonkers; none of it makes sense, but it's FUN. And I love it when authors make guesses about future-tech. It's one of the best parts of the genre.

So why did I quit?
While the tech was fun and joyful, the way it was presented was awkward and info-dumpy. All the seams showed. This was true of the plot as well. I was willing to look past this, even the meandering, frustrating bits like having an astrolabe described in great detail to an engineer. I was trusting it would improve, but instead more mess just kept piling up. Everything was fine until Chapter 18, and then all those loose threads tangled so hard I couldn't see my way past them. Nothing made sense anymore, not the timeline or the protagonist's job or any of it. I found myself stopping every paragraph to vent my frustration, and that meant it was time to let it go.

I felt like that raccoon washing cotton candy.

It's too bad because I think Olukotun had all the parts, but maybe an editor wasn't able to help him pull it into a tangible shape. Maybe he was trying to do too much in too small a space? I *wanted* to read what he was trying to communicate, but I got lost in the weeds - and maybe he did too.

[Michael Hanscom · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book, Nigerians in Space, was interesting, but was almost more of a spy thriller, barely touching on SF. This is not only more of an SF story, but is also a stronger book. A few of the characters carry over from the first book, but the plots aren’t directly connected, and reading the first isn’t at all necessary to enjoy this one. With both books, I greatly enjoyed the African setting and the blending of SF tropes with African history and culture. A strong start to my PK Dick Award reading this year.

[Lucia · Rating 3 out of 5]

why do they keep making me read the most mid books ever for this class. how will i ever decide which excruciatingly mid novel i want to write a 2500 word essay on

[Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deji Bryce Olukotun's follow up to Nigerians in Space, After the Flare, is a fast-paced mystery that successfully weaves the ancient with the new, space age with iron age, and magical with scientific. Drawing from the rich ethnics and tribal cultures of the regions in and around Nigeria, Olukotun's story starts with a solar flare that wipes power to most of the world, leaving only a few countries capable of technological ambitions; one such ambition, fueled by the African and national pride of Bello (a character who we met in Nigerians in Space), is to build a rocket to rescue a stranded astronaut from a falling space station. The mission, from the start, is cursed, it seems. There's a pool of blood where a worker disappears into thin air while attempting to steal an ancient piece of pottery from the spaceport dig, and the mystery only grows more with every passing day. Soon, Kwesi Brackett, the man responsible for building the huge pool for space simulations, is not only trying to overcome those pesky problems that money can solve (like finding more water to fill the giant pool), but also trying to solve the magical curse that is distorting spaceport readings and attacking him in his trailer and overcoming the growing threat of the newest incarnation of the violent Boko Haram.

While the plot explores ancient cultures and futuristic technologies ranging from cybernetic phones to intelligent money, the story focuses on trauma, violence, and revenge, and the resilience and self-forgiveness that enables us to move on. That technology, ancient or new, can empower the oppressed is a strong theme, one that weaves itself throughout the novel, from the nationalistic pride of Bello in dragging Nigeria into the space age all the way to the women of an ancient nomadic peoples hunting down Boko Haram to take back their children. Music is the element that really brings the seemingly disparate technologies together, where special acoustics and ancient tonal songs work together to allow the space mission to succeed in very different ways.

In the end, some things prove much harder than rescuing a stranded astronaut from space, like taking back the children, healing trauma caused by rape, violence, and torture, or like overcoming the prejudices amongst the many ethnicities, tribes, races and religions. But Olukotun promises optimism and hope, not just as a consolation, but as a driving force, a galvanizing power for resilience and forward motion.

After the Flare is a great novel that many with different interests and tastes will enjoy. Recommended for those who like archeology, meteorites, insects, geckos, soap operas, Nollywood and music.

[Carolynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Like Nigerians in Space, the first in the series, I was always surprised and could never anticipate the direction it was going. The main characters are likable and you definitely root for them, but what I enjoyed the most was the intense creativity of this future world. The author really imaginatively created a future, which despite half the world was without electricity and the US in ruins, I wanted to explore. Maybe I just want a gecko phone, but all the other little details, like cowrie blockchains, and malware-flys were addicting and fascinating.

[Stanley B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solar flare destroys most of the electronics on Earth. This causes the astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) to evacuate. However, the crew must leave a woman, Masha Kornokova, behind. A year later, Nigeria and India are building the rocket Masquerade to save her.

Josephine Gauthier is in charge of the project. She was on the ISS as mission director when the crew had to leave Masha behind. Josephine’s only motivation toward the project is to save Masha because they are lovers.

Laid off by NASA after the flare, Kwesi Brackett ends up helping Josephine with the project. Brackett is in charge of the water tank Naijapool that will be used to train the Naijanauts (Nigerian astronauts). While building the pool, workers find artifacts from an ancient civilization.

In a parallel story, Balewa is pregnant after a brutal rape. She leads the surviving women into the caves near the Nigerian spaceport. There she learns to use Songstones that appear to give her magical power.

Meanwhile, tension builds as the terrorist group Jarumi make their way to the spaceport. They plan to attack, kill everyone, and steal what they think is valuable. At the same time, Wale Olufunmi, from the first book, is trying to uncover evidence of Nigeria’s ancient civilization, strange people called the Nok. However, the Jarumi are destroying the archeological digs on their path to the spaceport.

All of these subplots and parallel stories come together in the end as Masquerade is readied for launch to save Masha.

Although its own story, this is sort of a follow on to the author’s previous book, Nigerians in Space. I liked this book because the author did excellent work revealing Nigeria’s cultures, tribes, and environment. Also, it is fast-paced with plot twists and surprises.

I’ve read several books from Unnamed Press, the indie publisher of this book. All of the books have all been great.

[Megan]

Comprehensively imagined SF. When a solar flare destroys world order as we know it, an astronaut is left stranded on the ISS. This is the story of the Nigerian rescue mission that is developed in the aftermath, particularly focusing on the evolving societal and technological factors.

My plan was to read a couple pages, and if I liked it, I'd go back and start with Nigerians in Space (which has been on my GR wish-list for nearly four years now), but the prologue and then the first chapter hooked me hard, so I kept reading this. It's completely satisfying as a standalone novel (yay!), and now I need to read Nigerians in Space soon.

In general, this won't satisfy readers who want a fast-paced adventure or to work out scientific puzzles; After the Flare's appeal is in its world-building. That said: I couldn't read that last chapter fast enough, I was so enthralled by not knowing whether the mission was going to succeed, and all the moving parts that went into it. But it's really not the focus of the book. It's mostly about our scientific characters also trying to work through puzzles of fraught social interactions, cultural legacies, political maneuvers, mysterious happenings, and technological advances.

[Kalin]

Although I'm looking for a different type of story/characters right now, this novel impressed me quite a few times:

- With the sophisticated security of the future:

To read the priority message, he had to take out a key that looked like a straw from his desk and then check the calendar. The kola nut was designated for Tuesday. He opened up a small jar, extracted a kola nut, peeled it, and took a bite, feeling a sharp rush as the stimulant coursed through his taste buds and gums. Kola was still used in Nigeria as a traditional greeting, part of a ritual to begin conversation among a number of tribes, and this, along with many other traditions, had been integrated within the facility’s security systems. The nut tasted of metal, like a cool can of Coke, and exhilaration at the same time. After chewing for a moment, he inserted the straw into his Geckofone and blew into it. The device analyzed the particles in his breath and opened the message.

And then with the sophistry of the future people:

A convoclip from Sybil.
“Hey, Dad! I’m doing good down here in Grenada. Second month of classes.”
“How’s the weather, baby?” he whispered to his daughter. The rest of the world seemed to dissolve around him.
“It’s all right,” she responded. “Hot all the time, but at least we can go swimming in the sea. Thurston bought me some snorkeling gear, and he said he’s going to teach me how to dive next week. We might even see some sharks!”
“Who’s Thurston?”
“I’m sorry, Dad. I don’t know the answer to that. Have another question?”
“Is Thurston your boyfriend?”
“I’m sorry, Dad. I don’t know the answer to that. Have another question?”
“Are you dating someone right now?”
“I’m sorry, Dad. I don’t know the answer to that. Have another question?”
(...) Convoclips took up less data than video clips and could get through the Loom firewall, but they were frustrating, designed to make the messages more intimate by simulating a conversation. It didn’t always work. (...)
“How do you like Yale, Sybil?”
“I’m doing good down here in Grenada. Second month of classes.”
Doing well, he thought. She’d picked that poor grammar up from his ex-wife, and she kept saying it much to his irritation.
Seeing that he wasn’t going to get anything more out of her, probably on purpose, because Sybil was clever when it came to talking about her boyfriends, he said: “You got enough money, baby?”

- With its real-life inspirations and inspiring vision:

Bello soon took the podium and a hush descended over the audience. “There are seeds I’ve seen on the Jos Plateau,” he began, “that can only propagate by means of fire. It takes a broiling, enraged inferno to crack the thick shell and release the seed, which will be carried by the wind over the charred, brittle earth. Only then does the seed enlodge itself in the soil and spread its tendrils to grow into a hearty plant. We too have been forged in the fire. We too required the cauldron of the sun to melt down our ambitions, our dreams, and our enmities to seek out a bold new direction. The Flare—the great cosmic intervention—has given us an opportunity to prove our ingenuity and to right the wrongs of the past. Before it, our program had a modest goal to send an astronaut to the moon, but now our aspirations are much higher, tied indeed to the very fate of space travel. Other countries shook their heads when we announced our intention to rescue Masha Kornokova. But we weren’t dismayed.
“Nigeria has looked beyond our imaginary borders so that we could find you. You are the paragons of African ingenuity who are destined for the stars—the bones of our women are nearly twenty-five percent more dense than other people, making us perfect for long-term space exploration. We all must take our opportunities when they arise, and our moment is now.”

- And with this bit of beauty:

“I signed up for the exchange program,” she continued, “thinking I could do my part in the mission. But I was bored to tears when I got to Kano. The rocket platforms had not even been built yet, so I spent my time recording local musicians. I record all my own music, you see, but not like ethnomusicologists. It’s important to me to record the ambient environment as well—the insects, the birds, street sellers, even the car horns. I went out to Lake Chad to record some musicians playing outside, and the biophony—that’s the full range of sounds in an environment—is extraordinary. Around the lake, the insects time their vocalizations so that they don’t sing at the same moment. This way they have a better chance of finding a mate. And if an insect has to vocalize at the same time as a bird, or a mouse, or a bat, it does it at a different frequency, so that the signal can still get through. You can find this all over the world in any rich habitat. But what I found out by Chad—listen to me, I’m making it sound like the lake is a person—the soundscape is so rich, and the musicians are part of it. I met this lute player who wasn’t especially skillful, not in the way you find with kora players, but her music felt so right. She had good rhythm, I knew that much, but only when I listened to the recording later did I understand it wasn’t the rhythm. She had tuned her lute a half step down so that it fit perfectly with the cicadas and other insects in the background. Her music fit the biophony. On its own, no one would have called the sound beautiful.”

[Rebecca Schwarz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this is the second in a series, it worked as a stand alone for me. I enjoyed the characters and the fresh perspective on a near future space adventure. I would definitely be interested in spending more time in this post flash world.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly entertaining sci-fi thriller that ultimately suffers for throwing too many elements into the mix and not really knowing what to do with them. This is seriously not helped by the style of delivery, meaning that even at the 90% mark in the book, we are still introducing new elements and having them explained either directly to us, or by one character to another. Getting so bogged down in exposition allows precious little time for plot development, so when that does happen it tends to feel rushed and squeezed in; nothing really gets the time it needs to breathe. Because of the widely disparate themes of everything that's being thrown together, none of it manages to really coalesce into something more meaningful.

Sometime in the near future, a massive solar flare wipes out the vast majority of electronics on the planet, and most of those in orbit. Only a narrow band around the equator is spared, thanks to shielding from the Earth's magnetosphere. As such, Nigeria is one of the few countries with remaining infrastructure, and forms the setting for the novel. The impetus for part of the plot is that one astronaut is left stranded on the ISS after the flare, and several goverments around the world (or what's left of them) pool together their resources to build a new launch site in Nigeria in order to save this astronaut. There's frankly a lot of problems with this set-up; whether it's possible to build a launch system from scratch in a little over a year, whether that's a good use of funds when the rest of the world has collapsed around you in order to save just one person, it's sketchy at best but let's accept it for the sake of the plot. The more major problem is that the book doesn't seem to want to tell that story- it instead focuses primarily on some mysterious goings on in and around Kano, that tie in to some strange archaeological finds. It really feels like these two threads needed to be woven together a little more strongly, as it stands they feel like the sketches of two separate books that have been stitched together.

Both threads are interesting, but next to each other they neither have the room they need to really be explored in detail. This is before we get to the side plots with the freedom fighters or the famous actors or the politicians (three separate threads). And they are all touching on so many interesting themes; from African cultural heritage and the importance of honouring the past as well as the future to cultural and racial identity, interesting sci-fi inventions (even if these make no sense in the timeframes given or even in relation to each other), the effects of celebrity, ancient cultures and the magic they may have wielded. There is cool stuff here and I feel like Olukotun is frustratingly close to tying it all together into something much greater. Give the ideas room to breathe, let them show themselves through the narrative rather than simply info-dumping them to us, and we'd have a great novel.

The characters are fine- main character nothing to write home about and in many ways feels like a pretty standard action film protagonist. The book overall reads far too action-filmy, complete with opening James-Bond style chase across a building site and a telescope array, not to mention the whole space station falling out of the sky element. Some of the side characters though do have a bit more humanity to them, but we rarely get to spend enough time with them to see more than one or two notes, and far too often they're again relegated to dispensing exposition.

Not a bad book and pretty interesting, just unable to pull all of it's thoughts into something coherent.

[Wole Talabi · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the flare is the story of Kwesi Bracket, an African-American working on Nigeria's space shuttle launch from Kano to rescue a cosmonaut. This is made necessary after a solar flare knocks out most of the rest of the world's technology leaving Nigeria's nascent space program the sole survivor. He has to supervise the construction of the simulation tank and ensure the launch/rescue goes well while contending with terrorists, politicians, Nollywood actors, biohackers and a powerful, unexpected ancient discovery that is connected to the flare.

This is an exciting, fast paced science fiction thriller with lots of plot and action propelling it forward. Although most of the story itself was good, only a few parts really stood out for me, especially the parts that have to do with the space shuttle and the rescue mission (I found myself wishing more of the book had focused on this). I most enjoyed the end, and especially the (admittedly overoptimistic) epilogue which involves a grand asteroid mining station. I really hope this is the setting for his next book. I did have a few issues with the book. First, the author seems to only have a passing familiarity with northern Nigeria and has written Kano, a very unique city, as if it were a generic "Nigerian city" I suppose most non-Nigerians will not notice this and it doesn't detract too much from the story but I did. What does detract though, are the multiple plots and the plainness of the protagonist. I personally feel that if the story had focused on the politics and technical challenges of the launch/rescue, without veering off into (cliche) terrorist angles, or adding some of its more bizarre-and-interesting-but poorly-explained-cyberpunk elements, it would have been a stronger novel. Still, perhaps the author was scared of being too similar to The Martian but the choice of plot points mixed in here makes for a strange soup. I'd also have preferred a more interesting protagonist, someone with more personality. Kwesi Bracket has no particularly interesting traits, and isn't a very active protagonist. Many other characters in the book are more exciting and exhibit more agency. Kwesi Bracket, like this novel, isn't bad, but isn't great either.

Overall, I'd give this a solid 3 out of 5.

[David Agranoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up after it won a special mention in this year's PKD awards of which it was nominated for.

This is a strange book that apparently is a sequel to the author's first novel Nigerians in Space. Well it is marketed that way although I read that the author intended for this book to stand alone. I don't know if I missing something but it worked for me as a singular reading experience. Had I know it was book two I would not have started here but it ended up in my TBR so here we are. Combing a few plot elements and a strange sci-fi mystery this is a really great example of afrocentric genre even if personally I did not connect to it as much as some other books in this subgenre.

The premise sets up nicely for a post Apocalypse novel, but strangely enough that is not what we are talking about here. The book starts in orbit when a space station gets a front row seat for solar flare that wipes out power/technology for much of the globe. There is a small zone along the equator that is uneffected, and this is the reason why Kwesi Brackett our main point of view character has to go Nigeria. As a engineer he is needed to join the effort to rescue the lone astronaut who didn't escape the space station and has been stranded in orbit for a year while quickly losing her life support and sanity. Once in Africa the story weaves a couple plot strands that involve terrorist groups like Boko Haram, ancient artifacts and the discovery of an advanced civilization buried in Nigeria's past.

Brackett is in charge of the water tanks where the future astronauts practice space walks. He is overseeing the final stages of building this massive pool with a artifact is found and quickly stolen. In the process of trying to track down the stolen items Brackett is witness to a separatist terrorist attack. These elements were some of the books most interesting moments. The glimpse into the near future Nigeria was not the focus, but to me it was the most compelling part.

The various plot threads seem very different but they weave together really through the the story. Deji Bryce Olukotun's writing is well thought out, he has excellent command of plot, structure and characters. For me the biggest weakness of the book was found in it's subplot about the origins of the artifact. I am sorry for most readers this will be the most interesting part, but how Nigeria reacts to it's suddenly important global role intrigued me more that was not Olukotun's focus. I

I respect this book, even if I didn't totally love it. Olukotun is a good writer and I will read more of his work in the future. This is good thoughtful science fiction and in a time when we are trying to find more diverse voices this is a good one.

[Deborah Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the Flare, by Deji Bryce Olukotun (Unnamed Press, 2017). Non-Western-centered science fiction has found an eager audience in recent years, and this novel is a worthy addition. In the not-too-distant future, a gigantic solar flare paralyzes the electrical grid across the world. Among the many unfolding catastrophes are the marooning of a single astronaut on the International Space Station. Because nations near the Equator are relatively spared, it’s up to the Nigerian space program to rescue her. From this remarkable premise, Olukotun spins a tale that is part thriller (will the astronaut be rescued in time? Will the terrorists drawing ever closer to the base take over before the rescue rocket can be launched? What ancient, possibly magical artifact have the desert women discovered?), part science fictional examination of the endless ingenuity of human beings, and part cultural drama. The richness of the African backdrop, from local customs to corrupt politics to wildlife to a vanished civilization, colors every aspect of Nigeria’s fast-paced space race.

[Elrik · Rating 2 out of 5]

It sounded really nice, African based space program after a solar flare devasteted most of the worlds tech.
What I found was a mix of: space program, racial / social issues, tech development, and finally some weird paranormal power thingy. All the ideas had great potential, except maybe the paranormal part. Especially in the tech development there were stunning concepts in regard to cryptography and the development of mobile communication. But unfortunately, in my eyes none of the ideas were in any way properly presented and thought through. It often left me with a feeling of "now what?". In my view, this book contains many great ideas which could and should have been properly developed and would have worked by themselves. This way, it felt more like a collection of ideas. And the paranormal part, some weird stone energy paired with an attempted anthropological background, was just cringeworthy and destroyed the whole "science" ficition theme. Sorry, I usually am not that negative, but this was definitely a waste of money for me...

[Jimbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even after enjoying NIGERIANS IN SPACE, AFTER THE FLARE turned out to be even better with new and returning characters, but from a different perspective. Olukotun does shy away from noting that even with honorable motiffs, the Senator, Nuradeen Bello -- seemingly altruistic offer to save the stranded Astronaut on the failing space station -- is selfishly trying to make Nigeria a world leader in space travel and exploration.
Although this story isn't so much about Bello, his influence (as in NIGERIANS IN SPACE) is felt throughout the story. Kwesi's story, who worked for NASA is the main protagonist that propels the success or failure of this mission--and in his mind--it is only about saving the astronaut.
Mixed in are a country of peoples working together and still carrying on centuries of bigotry and distrust, reflecting the reality of the world today. I am not saying that this is a political book, it is, but is not. It is a wonderful tale of mystery, adventure, intrigue, romance, survival, and man's ingenuity winning the day.
Highly recommended.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, and we finally got the Nigerians in Space that were promised in the first book!

I enjoyed that Wale from the first book also appeared in this one. The premise of the book is that a solar flare wiped out much of the planet, and places in a band around the equator were spared while the Global North (basically) falls apart. Nigeria and its fledgling space program must save an astronaut trapped at the International Space Station.

Meanwhile, the flare also activated some ancient technology - which may be alien enough to be considered magic - that can be manipulated through a few people who know the right songs. An African-American engineer and his Indian sound engineer friend navigate the clash of their world at the space center (ground control), the local culture which is being terrorized by a future version of Boko Haram, and the rising "magic" of a nomadic group of women out for revenge.

It's a mystery, science fiction, urban magic, and anti-colonial and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

[Damien · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the sequel to Olukotun’s Nigerians in Space, which was about an international conspiracy to create a Nigerian space agency. While After the Flare takes place in the same world and involves some of the same characters, it’s not necessary to read them in order.

In contrast to Nigerians in Space, which was set in present-day US, France, and South Africa, After the Flare takes place in near-future Kano, Nigeria after a solar flare has knocked out most of the world’s electronics. The Nigerian space program is only one shielded by the magnetic field of the Earth’s equator, leaving it with the task of rescuing an astronaut stranded on the International Space Station, which is in danger of crashing into Delhi. Mysterious archaeological finds and attacks by a successor to Boko Haram provide the action. There are some fun cyberpunky technologies mixed into an interesting take on a post-apocalyptic future. This is a very enjoyable story and I’m looking forward to the next one!

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the Flare by Deji Bryce Olukotun is the sequel to Nigerians in Space. Some friends didn't enjoy Book 1 so I decided to try the sequel and I greatly enjoyed it. It had the same narrative style as the first book, many small vignettes that moved from person to person but they was more tightly connected in book 2. There was more science and space and hints of excitement. Part of this book revolves around building an extra large pool in Nigeria that the new astronauts can use it to learn how to function in zero G. They're being trained to rescue a woman who is trapped in the International Space Station. And Eureka, lots of the action takes place in Nigeria. Both books had lots of African elements including what may be folklore or along lost culture. An enjoyable read as long as you don't expect a story that sticks to a straight narrative. This story wanders around but brings you to intriguing side stories along the way.

[Warren Dunham · Rating 4 out of 5]

so its the future and technology was destroyed by a flair now Nigeria of all places has to save the last astronaut left in space(Looks again no that's not the exact same thing as the martian).
This book does many things its a post apocalyptic rescue mission, its a space bio pic with an African setting, its an African culture piece, its a *redacted for spoilers*. Yes i redacted an entire plot line.

This book does a good job at all of these but not always at the same time and it can be jarring at times flipping back and forth between genre's. Especially when new plot points get added it the second half of the book. Oh well, i guess its not really that different from expanse in that regard.

worth a read if your looking for something we don't see a lot of in western science fiction.

[Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really intrigued by the concept of a non- western country being the setting for space advancement. I was particularly interested in how the author would incorporate Nigeria’s setting into this work.

I liked how the author was able to link future issues facing the region with current issues. You could see the author had done some research on the concepts he was talking about.

However, I was unable to connect with the main character Bracket and found myself more interested I. knowing more about Seeta and Balewa.

I also struggled to find a strong relationship between the two storylines and was left with a few major questions at the end because of this. I would have loved to know what happened to the Wodaabe women, the cave, the Jarumi and even Wale.

[Christopher Graffeo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a really good time with this book. Olukotun is very good at bringing seemingly disparate plot threads together into one story. It's a science fiction story with some mysticism increasingly woven in as time goes on, sometimes to the seeming chagrin of the scientist characters trying to figure out what's happening. Like any good science fiction, it's set in the future, but is relevant to issues of today. Terrorism, hacking, and the possibility of a near complete breakdown of the technological world that we've built all play a part. I enjoyed the perspective of space travel from a non "superpower" setting. It wasn't necessary to have read the first book before this one.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

After The Flare is gripping and combines magic with science. The story takes place after a solar flare knocked out all communication except on the bands of the equator. Bracket works for the Nigerian space program after losing his job at NASA.

In the midst of trying to finish the space simulation pool done , one of his employees runs off with a piece of pottery. The employee seemingly disappears into the ground, leaving only blood behind. This kicks off an exciting story in which we are introduced to magical sound scapes, cyber bugs, and of course a billionaire archeologist.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves space, near future technology, or mystery.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

makes you want a geckophone

The ideas in this book are so intriguing, with fairly well-rounded characters and wonderful world- building. The description of technologies gone right and gone wrong are thought-provoking and ask good questions of the reader, as do the characters’ examination of identity and geopolitics in their world. Sometimes the weaving together of all these images and ideas is a bit clunky, with parts of the book moving too slowly and others too quickly and conveniently. I really liked it though and added a half a star just for the brilliance and creativity of the story! 3.5

[Monical · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short post-apocalytic sci fi novel, second in a series (which I didn't know going into the book, and it didn't make any difference, didn't require having read the first one, thank goodness!). The writing is tight, and the author has some really creative visions of a tech future. The plot was meandering and thin, though, and I was especially disappointed at the ending, which was much more a whimper than a bang. Although I wasn't especially enthralled by this book, I'm looking forward to future books from this author, as he shows some real spark!

[Xats Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting alternative future but what I really liked was the way the plot linked up technology, biology and archaeology--one does see that too often. I also liked the way Africa as given held up front and center in this story

The Gekko phones in the book are a fascinating speculation which mate biological behavior with technological need. I know I'd love to have one.

I highly recommend the book as a story as well as well the author kept the action moving and had me turning pages from page one.

[Linda Oleszczuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took a bit to get into this one. It was for a book challenge and I thought it would be more post apocalyptic, like “One Second After”. It was a bit more sci-fi than that and took some getting used to imagining this very futuristic world. Gecko phones? Cyborg animal hybrid drones? Wow. In the end there were elements I really enjoyed although the big discovery I expected was a little bit of a let down.

[Lynne Nunyabidness · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much to love about this book: well-drawn, multifaceted characters, scifi with a non-Western twist, a hopeful apocalypse (at least for part of the planet), and some magical realism/history/mythology mixed in. I really enjoyed it, even if I'm sheepish at how lacking my education on African history is.